Monday, February 20, 2012

SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs - The Captivating Edition

Happy Presidents' Day, America. For everyone else it is still a special day as it's VGM day! For this edition of SuperPhillip's Favorite VGMs it is all Capcom all the time. Five themes from various Capcom games; from old school to new school, we have a lot of fresh tunes to listen to. On the docket today are games like Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri, and Marvel VS. Capcom 3.

Early last week I reviewed Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition on the Nintendo 3DS. The game wasn't my first foray into the world of Street Fighter IV. I played the vanilla version as well as Super Street Fighter IV, but I couldn't get down the button combos. Thankfully the 3DS iteration allowed players to select moves via the touch screen. Onto the song itself, this is Oceania's theme. It borrows the main melody of Street Fighter IV and comes off as something from the 80s. It is an insanely catchy little ditty, one that made me select this volcanic stage just to hear this awesome song.

Performed by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Land and Sea Tremble is the them heard as you do battle with the cover monster of Monster Hunter Tri, Ragiakrua, an underwater serpentine dragoon. If you aim to do battle with this behemoth-sized creature, I hope you have developed a sound game plan and brought as many potions and possible. The theme played is certainly bombastic, filled with tribal beats, sensational strings, and loud brass to accentuate the tension. It is my favorite piece from Monster Hunter Tri (voted best third-party exclusive on Wii by yours truly) soundtrack.

Let's step away from current gen music and head back to the past... the 16-bit past to be specific. Breath of Fire on the Super Nintendo was a joint effort by then Squaresoft and Capcom, and it was my first introduction to the RPG genre. Well, it was either that game or Final Fantasy II (IV). Day and Night is one of the many village/town themes heard in the game. This one is my personal favorite as you can imagine strolling through a countryside town, conversing with the villagers, and entering shops to boost your equipment. Some prefer Genesis music to SNES music, but I'm the opposite. I believe it is what you grew up with that affects your opinion on the matter.

I was not amused when Capcom announced Ultimate Marvel VS. Capcom 3 a mere few months after just releasing the vanilla version, Marvel VS. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. It was like I purchased the wrong version and Capcom was mocking me for it. Regardless, of the two games I find that the original MvsC 3 possesses the better soundtrack. From the arcade victory theme to this staff roll theme beginning with delightful female vocals and then concluding with an epic and heroic symphonic theme, Fate of Two Worlds amazes with its musical beauty.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles focused on Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica, and an all-new chapter set in South America. The game is one of the best on-rails light gun shooters on the market, and more people will get to play it when it comes to the PlayStation 3 some time soon. Nonetheless, the music is a Resident Evil fan's dream come true. Remixed and remastered music with huge orchestras and choirs highlight the majority of pieces in the game. The Theme of Alexia Type II was listed as one of my personally most cherished final boss themes. Take a listen to understand why, and if you own a Wii and lack this title, what are you waiting for-- an engraved invitation?

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It pleases me greatly that we've reached the fiftieth VGM! Next Monday is my birthday, so we will be celebrating with five more terrific tracks of video game music goodness. Stay tuned, friends! This week of SuperPhillip Central is going to be great too!